Rating: 
Summary: Poorly Written and Boring
Review: I'm a huge fan of Fantasy books and have read Sword of Shannara and their sequels and found them to be 'good' books, hwoever First King of Shannara is quite possible one of the worst fantasy books I have ever read.To start with the plot is totally predictable, there is nothing new here. That's not so bad in it's own right, however when you couple it with poor writing and 1-dimensional characters, you have a downright boring book. Reading this was a chore.
Rating: 
Summary: OK - Now I see more
Review: I have enjoyed all of Terry Brooks' Shannara books. I have found them to be very enjoyable reading and this book is no different. I am the type of person that always wants to know the whole story and this book does that. I have always wondered why Jerle Shannara wasn't able to destroy Brona since I firs read "The Sword of Shannara" back in the 70's. The "First King of Shannara" fills in a lot of the background. If you enjoy the Shannara books, you will enjoy this one also. I do recommend this book for all Shannara fans.
Rating: 
Summary: 'professional' critic?
Review: I echo the positive reader reviews that follow this one. The only thing that puzzles me is why the bone head who wrote the professional review at the top of this page can't understand what a prequel is. The story takes place PRIOR to The Sword of Shannara not years after and explains much of what is talked about in 'Sword' - Brona, Bremen, the failure of Jerle Shannara. Anyone who had read 'Sword' would have recognized this fact, even without prequel written all over the book, which makes me wonder if the reviewer has even read a Brooks book. Anyway, this book foreshadows a darkening of Brooks' writing that emerges fully in the 'Voyage' series. Great book.
Rating:
Summary: Another Brooks Masterpiece
Review: And Terry Brooks amazes us again with the PREQUEL to the shannara series.. and it blew me away. Ahhh... I cried. I cried like hell. (I'm not really an emotional person, though) Terry Brooks is an amazing author. First King had the most colorful characters that are really believable and you get emotionally attached to them. Not Brooks' ABSOLUTE best but.. hey, I it deserves every one of those five stars I gave it. After you read it once, you'll find that you want to read it over.. and over.. and over until you can no more.
Rating:
Summary: Great Prequel
Review: This is a great book. Its probably second in the seris only to the last one. It tells the story before the Allanon is around. Back when Bremen is trying to save the world from the Borona. Bremeen tries is one of the last Druids who thinks that magic is still important. The other Druids ignorance will kill them. This is the book where the sword is made. I don't want to give away any of the details but the making of it is just awesome. Bremen has to go through a lot to get the sword made and delivered to where it has to go. Allanon is in the book a little at the end and it shows back when he is young and vulnerable. Bremen kinda takes him in. The other jorney in this book is made by another Druid to get the Black Elfstone and it is very imaginitive when it all ends. This was a book that i could not put down and i think that it will be the same for you.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing prelude to Sword of Shannara.
Review: ...This is an amazing book that answers all of the questions we have about the origin of the Sword of Shannara. We also get to learn the true story of Jerle Shannara and everything that happened leading up to the original trilogy. This book is filled with everything that made the Shannara series great. Wonderful characters, settings, and tremendous battles. This is a must read for fantasy readers. If you have never read the Shannara series please start with this wonderful story.
Rating:
Summary: This is a prelude
Review: The editorial review states ""The story opens at an indeterminate but considerable time after the conclusion of The Talismans of Shannara (1993),..."". The story actually takes place before the first book in the series (sword of shannara). because of this it's probably better to read this book before reading the rest to enjoy it most.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book - Answers many mysteries
Review: This book was awesome!! I couldn't put it down after I picked it up. It answers many of the mysteries that have been displayed in the first three Shannara series. Terry Brooks has certainly outdone himself this time, like all his books this book puts you in the middle of it all and makes you feel as if you were there. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Terry Brooks perfection
Review: The book The First King of Shannara, by Terry Brooks, starts with the powerful druid, Bremen, and his professional tracker friend, Kinson, deciding how to save the lands from an invasion led by Brona, a superiorly powerful, corrupt druid and his army of trolls and gnomes. After a failed attempt to receive full backing from the Druid Council, two of the druids, Tay, an elf, and Risca, a dwarf, gree to help Bremen. Tay travels to the Elven people to raise forces to help the Dwarves and Risca warns the Dwarves. Tay is stopped from mobilizing an army to help the dwarves due to the assassination of the royal family, but he is able to mount an expedition to claim the Black Elfstone, thereby preventing the magically powerful stone from making Brona nearly invincible. In the process, Tay sacrifices his life to save his companions, including Jarel Shannara. Jarel becomes the new king of the Elves, because he is the closest relative to the deceased king. By the time Jarel is able to mobilize an army, Brona's troops are advancing on the Elves. The First King of Shannara is a well-written book in which everything is described so vividly that the detailed action unfolds in the reader's mind. Suspense, adventure, excitement, battle, and believable characters make this a wonderful book for anyone wanting a real treat. I would definitely recommend this book as a great way to escape the present and travel to the realms of Elves, Dwarves, and adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent beginning to an excellent series!
Review: An excellent prequel! This is an action-packed book. If you have already read Sword, Elfstones, and Wishsong, this book will answer many questions, and fill in a lot open gaps. But if you have read no Shannara books, this is a very solid, exciting beginning to the series. A must read!! A roller coaster ride until the end. Also, if you like battles, you will be glad you read this.
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